Super Rugby
Bulls outmuscle Sharks to move second
April 19, 2015
Report Match details
Date/Time: Apr 18, 2015, 17:05 local, 15:05 GMT
Venue: Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Sharks 10 - 17 Bulls
Half-time: 3 - 8
Tries: Coetzee
Cons: Zeilinga
Pens: Zeilinga
 Tries: Hougaard
Pens: Pollard 4
The Bulls' Jesse Kriel takes on the defence, Sharks v Bulls, Durban, April 18, 2015
The Bulls' Jesse Kriel takes on the defence
 © Getty Images
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The Bulls rose four places to second in the Super Rugby standings after an ugly 17-10 victory on Saturday at fellow South Africans, the Sharks.

Leading competition point-scorer this season Handre Pollard kicked four penalties for the winners to take his tally to 120 and right-wing Francois Hougaard scored a breathtaking try.

Flanker Marcell Coetzee crossed the try-line for the Sharks and fly-half Fred Zeilinga kicked a conversion and a penalty before a sombre Kings Park stadium crowd in Durban. The Bulls led 8-3 at half-time but fell two points behind early in the second half before Pollard slotted three penalties to secure a sixth victory from nine games.

Sharks 10-17 Bulls (Australia only)

The Hurricanes top the standings with 33 points, the Bulls have 28 and the Brumbies are on 26 after 10 rounds of the southern hemisphere inter-provincial championship. The Sharks, tipped by many pundits to be the strongest South African contenders before the competition started two months ago, lie ninth 12 points behind the leaders.

The match was an eye-sore with battering-ram rugby the order of the day. It was raw, highly physical and error-strewn with much poor handling and many turnovers. When there was tactical kicking, it was often misplaced, and Sharks supporters left the ground disillusioned after a poor game and a third straight loss for the Durban team.

The Sharks have a bye next weekend while the Bulls face another tough South African derby away to sixth-place Western Stormers in Cape Town.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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